


The Boy in the Woods

by ZoneRobotnik



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Rapunzel is kind of a mess actually because t r a u m a, Varian is a smart boi, tags to be edited as story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27743233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoneRobotnik/pseuds/ZoneRobotnik
Summary: After experiencing a panic attack during a sudden proposal in front of strangers, Rapunzel flees into the woods and encounters a teenager that reminds her that it's okay to be herself.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 44
Kudos: 69





	1. Run Away

**Author's Note:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c) Disney
> 
> ((A/N: I know, I know, it's another new fic, but I got this idea and I just had to share it because it's so cute and fluffy and I'm not sure where it's going, but it's nice to work on while I'm procrastinating with the other ones. Also because it literally kept me up at night and I was like "Alright, fine, I'll write it".
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!))

There was no way of sugarcoating this. Rapunzel had been having a terrible day. A terrible _weekend_ , really. Her coronation weekend had been full of back-to-back Princess Duties and pinchy shoes and meeting strangers and the one time she thought she’d have to herself, her overprotective father hadn’t let her even have that, with guards blocking every attempt she made to spend time with the people of the city that she loved.  
  
Yes, Eugene had tried to make things easier by taking her for a race through the woods on their horses to the Wall of Corona, but even that had been marred but her nearly running over an animal of some kind – it moved out of the way too fast – and then the Royal Guard had shown up to…well, not drag, but… _coax_ her back into the walls of her tower—castle.  
  
And now she was at a banquet with people she didn’t know, people she had already humiliated herself by having zero social graces with earlier. The Duchess of Quintonia was the worst, giving her a snide side-eye as she poked at her food glumly.  
  
Her father sighed, probably sensing that was upset because of something he did. She tensed, already suspecting that it would be followed up by some “Oh, I suppose I’m a terrible person” statement meant to guilt her into saying he wasn’t, like Gothel did so many times.  
  
“I don’t understand why you’re so upset, sweetheart.” He said, and she glanced at him. “I said you could do whatever you wanted. That’s exactly what you did.”  
  
No, not at all. Some part of her kept telling her to behave, though, to not cause a fuss. “Hmhm,” she chuckled sarcastically before taking a deep breath, “you didn’t say anything about a battalion tagging along.”  
  
“Why would I _need_ to?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and speaking in a low voice, “you’re _royalty_ , making a _public_ _appearance_."  
  
She was tempted to ask him if being royalty meant she had lost her _humanity_ , but barely got “But, dad…” out before Eugene was clearing his throat and stepping out to the center of the room in his usual dramatic fashion.  
  
“Ladies and gentlemen, ahhh, Dukes and Duchesses, Baron and Baronesses, Marquis and, you know, the female version of those, may I share a moment of history with you?” Eugene turned to her. “Princess, would you join me up here?” He extended a hand to her.  
  
She glanced down at his hand and got up, feeling utterly confused as she went to his side, wondering what he was doing. He took her hand in his as he spoke. “Tonight, we celebrate our love for the Princess.” Rapunzel bent back a bit to look at Cassandra, hoping he had clued her in on whatever he was doing right now, but all she got was a shrug. “I, for one,” he went on, and she straightened up to stand next to him properly, “can think of no better way to celebrate the love I have for this woman…than this.” He pulled her to the front of him and dropped down onto one knee and people gasped around the room. Her father’s jaw dropped, as did Cassandra’s and Pascal’s. Something was going on. Was it good? Bad?  
  
“Oh, Eugene!” She looked at him with concern and looked around. “Wait, did you drop something?”  
  
“No.” He let go of her and reached into his tailcoat, pulling out a small box with a hinged lid. He opened it and she gasped as she saw a shiny ring inside.  
  
Her father stood up in alarm as the pieces started to click in Rapunzel’s head. Ohhh, this was a proposal!  
  
“Rapunzel, from the moment I first met you, and you knocked me out with that frying pan, I knew it was love.” He said, looking up at her fondly. “You’re my light. You’re my best friend, and I want to be your partner in _all_ things.”  
  
She smiled brightly as he went on, listening eagerly. “I can’t wait to laugh with you and share with you. I see us raising our children here. And our children’s children. And celebrating banquets of our own here in this very hall for many, many, many, many years to come. I wanna ride our horses to the Corona Wall together, each and every morning, until we’re both very, very…old and gray.”  
  
She was growing increasingly excited, but she was starting to lose that excitement as he went on, his words sinking in as she felt the eyes of everyone in the room staring at her, suffocating her like the walls of the castle that Eugene talked about her staying in.  
  
“I love you, Rapunzel.” He held up the box with the ring, and she jolted a bit in alarm, looking at it. Her mind flashes images, the ring turned into a shackle, the world warped around her and she couldn’t breathe. “And I want to spend the rest of our lives here, together.”  
  
Spending the rest of her life in this castle.  
In this…larger tower.  
  
“Here…” she finally managed to speak, “in this…castle…forever?”  
  
“I mean, unless you wanna rent.” He said jokingly. “But, I hardly see how we’re gonna top this.”  
  
Her eyes widened as she ran over his proposal in her mind.  
  
 ** _{I want to spend the rest of my life with you here.}  
  
{It doesn’t get any better than this, this castle.}_  
  
**No…no!  
  
She looked to her father, his voice running in her head.  
  
 ** _{Princesses need to be protected at all times.}_**  
  
She couldn’t breathe…she looked around her and all she saw were walls and guards and chains and _eyes…_ her vision was growing faint, she felt like she was going to be sick.  
  
“Rapunzel?” Eugene prompted. “Rapunzel?”  
  
She shook her heads slightly to clear her vision, bringing her back to reality, and she let out a sigh. “I…wow.” She reached out a hand, then pulled it back, fidgeting with her dress collar like she used to fidget with her hair when she felt troubled. “I… _love_ you, Eugene, but…I can’t.” She stepped back a bit. “Just not...not now.” She took another step back, her body tensing as she held her hands in fists at her fists. “Uhm…I need some air.” She ran past him as fast as she could go, ignoring his calls, ignoring the gasps of the people, ignoring Cassandra. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, passing guards and people and throwing open the doors of her castle to run out into the sunlight and she choked back sobs as she dodged around guards to run for the gates, then through the town, across the bridge, running and running and running like her life depended on it.  
  
She found herself in the woods and kept on running, finally letting the sobs slip free now that she was away from people. She felt so sick, so tired, she wanted _out_ , she wanted to be _free_ , she wanted to actually have a _life_ , why was fate so unfair?! She ran deeper, deeper, deeper than she’d ever gone alone and then skidded to a stop and let out a scream when a strange black creature with glowing, green eyes was in her path and she fell, covering her head wishing she had her frying pan, Pascal, _anything_!  
  
“D-Don’t eat me!” She cried. “I’m not tasty!”  
  
“I won’t eat you.” The creature assured her as it stood up on two legs, and then lifted its face to reveal a young man wearing a…mask. Oh, it was a mask. And a coat that looked two sizes too big for him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, Miss…?” He offered her a gloved hand.  
  
“Ra—Rhapsody.” She said, taking his hand. He pulled her up, then yelped as he tripped on a root and down they went again, this time with her on top of him. They both just kind of stared at each other before bursting into laughter at how silly the situation was. It felt good, to laugh. To laugh without worrying about being too loud, to laugh without worry about offending someone, to laugh with a stranger.  
  
Oh, Sun, a _stranger_! She didn’t know who this guy was, and she was _sitting_ on him! She got up, flustered, and smoothed out her dress before offering him a hand sheepishly. “S-Sorry.”  
  
“It’s okay.” He took her hand and got up before knocking dirt off his coat. “I’m Varian.”  
  
“It’s nice to meet you, Varian.” She smiled. “So, uh…why were you in the woods, anyway?”  
  
“I was collecting components for my alchemy. This tree sap is a key component in my—I just realized you’ve been crying.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a handkerchief. “U-Uhm, here.”  
  
She blushed and took it, using it to wipe her eyes. “Thank you.”  
  
“My dad taught me to never leave a crying girl with undried tears.” He smiled, then looked concerned. “What happened, anyway? Your clothes are really nice, but you’re alone and in the woods...were you robbed by bandits?”  
  
“What? No, I…” She sighed, fidgeting with the collar of her dress. “You’re going to think it stupid.”  
  
“Any reason for a girl to be crying in the woods isn’t stupid.” Varian assured her, taking off his mask and putting it in a satchel before walking over to sit on a log and patting the spot next to him.  
  
She walked over and sat next to him. “Well…I got proposed to.”  
  
“I’m guessing that’s not a ‘congratulations’ moment.” He frowned.  
  
She shook her head. “I mean…I love him, but…there was too many people, and he was talking about us never leaving home after we got married and…” She sighed. “I was raised by a single mother in a strict household. She never let me go outside, or make friends, or talk back…and then I found out that she wasn’t my real mother, and my real father is just as bad and…” She wiped at her eyes with Varian’s handkerchief.  
  
“Parents come in all types.” Varian frowned. “I’m sorry you got two of the same type in a row.”  
  
“All I’ve ever wanted is to see the world, to experience things I’ve only _dreamed_ of, to learn and grow as…as a _person_ , not a trophy. Not an…an object to be protected.” She sniffled. “I just…I wanted to be _free_. But, then this…proposal, and the things he was saying, and all the people around, the eyes, judging me, taunting me…I felt like I was going to fall to pieces and they’d just _laugh_ …” She clutched at the handkerchief, starting to sob again. “S-So, I ran! I ran and ran and ran and didn’t stop and then I ended up here and I saw you and I thought you were some kind of monster going to eat me and then I _sat_ on you and I-I’m so embarrassed.”  
  
Varian laughed. “Don’t worry about the sitting on me part, it’s not your fault I’m a clutz. Trust me, my clumsiness has caused worse things to happen.”  
  
“Yeah?” She wiped at her eyes with his handkerchief again. “Like what?”  
  
“Like, uh…” He chuckled awkwardly. “I once made this solution to help the crops, and it worked _great_ …until I dropped the whole bottle on it by accident and the plants decided they were going to grow like the legend of the giant beanstalk.”  
  
She giggled. “Wow, that _is_ a mess!  
  
“Yep.” He nodded. ‘Anyways, they got it handled, but I was, uh…yeah. Scolded and…stuff.” He sighed. “My dad…thinks I’m a disappointment. I’m pretty sure he loves me, but he doesn’t show it too often. I cherish the hugs he gives, because they’re few and far between and every day it’s like he’s expecting me to do something else to make him hang his head in shame and apologize to people.”  
  
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She reached out and took his gloved hand in hers. “Well, I don’t think you’re a disappointment.”  
  
“And I don’t think you’re an object.” He smiled a bit.  
  
She giggled a bit.  
  
He squeezed her hand gently, then got up. “So, uh…we’ll have to be sneaky, but do you want me to show you my place?”  
  
“Why do we have to be sneaky?” She asked.  
  
“Because…uhm…” Varian sighed and glanced away. “no one wants to be friends with me because just by association, they assume that that person is trouble. And dad doesn’t like me talking to strangers unsupervised, so…”  
  
“Maybe we should avoid that.” She said nervously. “Don’t want to get you in trouble with your dad. We can just hang out in the woods here!”  
  
“Alright, yeah. I mean, guess I was a bit hasty, heh, just…asking someone back to my place when they barely know me, doi.” He knocked on his head and she giggled. He grinned and then slipped his hand from hers to pick up his satchel. “Well, I still have some more things to collect…walk with me?”  
  
“Sure!” She nodded, getting up.  
  
He smiled and pulled out his mask, putting it back on. “This mask helps me see things that the human eye can’t normally do. It also helps with keeping my face safe, of course. And it keeps away most wild animals.” He paused. “I say ‘most’, because I’m pretty sure I have a raccoon stalking me.”  
  
Rapunzel smiled. “Your pet?”  
  
“Hah, no. Dad won’t let me have one, he says I’m messy enough without it.” Varian shrugged. “But, uh…you know, I leave out food for him.”  
  
“My parents, both the fake one and the real one, don’t really approve of my pet, either.” She sighed. “I mean, my…fake mother didn’t even _know_ about my pet, and my real father just…he’s judging.” She fidgeted with her dress collar awkwardly.  
  
They heard yelling and voices calling and Rapunzel gasped. “Oh no, my father’s guards!”  
  
“Come on!” He took her hand and pulled her deeper into the woods, the two of them running as fast as they could until the voices were gone. Then they stopped and he let go of her hand. “I’ve, heh…had some experience running from raised voices.” He admitted. “I…anger a lot of people.”  
  
She nodded. “I’m guessing the…plant incident wasn’t the only one?”  
  
He shook his head, then gasped and knelt down, pulling a knife from his satchel and starting to do something before he pulled a bottle from his satchel and started to pour some kind of liquid into it, muttering to himself.  
  
Rapunzel leaned against the nearby tree, watching him work but guessing she didn’t know enough about…what was it he said? Alchemy? She didn’t know enough about it to understand what he was doing even if she _did_ ask.  
  
“So…aside from, uhm…alchemy, what do you like doing?” She asked.  
  
“I draw, sometimes, and I can play the piano and guitar. And I like hanging out in the woods with the wild animals and exploring caves and stuff.” He capped the vial and put it in his bag. “What about you?”  
  
“Oh, I like to paint, and sing, and dance, and play chess, and play guitar and bake, and…a lot of indoor stuff. I…wasn’t really allowed outside, growing up.”  
  
He stood up. “Wow. Well, hey, you wanna go explore some caves with me?” He offered her a hand.  
  
She smiled. “You sure?”  
  
He shrugged. “If you don’t mind your dress getting…hold on.” He set down his satchel and mask, then took off his coat and handed it to her. With both removed, she could finally get a look at this boy she’d been spending time with.  
  
He was younger than her for sure, maybe fourteen, sixteen at most. His hair was short and messy, black with a teal streak on the left side of his bangs, and he had freckles that went across his nose and tanned cheeks that made his big, blue eyes stand out and add to the young look. His clothes, like his coat, looked either too big or too small on him, with his turquoise shirt’s sleeves being rolled up to past his elbows and his black gloves hanging on his thin arms like drapes. His brown, leather apron looked ragged and he had a green and blue striped patch on the sleeve of his shirt that implied this outfit had seen some damage. His brown pants were also ragged, and his boots were scuffed and dirty and looked like he’d wrapped black strips around them to keep them from falling completely apart.  
  
He then pulled out goggles that looked too big for him and put them on his head and put his mask in his satchel again before offering her the coat. “Here. It’ll keep your dress clean.”  
  
She accepted it and fastened it on over her dress. Her skirt still hung down under it, but most of it was covered. “Thanks.” She smiled.  
  
He offered her a hand as he picked up his satchel. “Shall we go?”  
  
She took his hand and they headed off together.  
  
\--  
  
Eugene felt guilty. He didn’t mean to scare Rapunzel off, and now she wasn’t anywhere to be found! The last time anyone saw her, she’d taken off into town and across the bridge and disappeared into the woods. A search party had been sent out, and he was preparing to go out himself.  
  
“Do you really think she’ll want to come back with you after _that_ debacle?” Cassandra asked, walking up to him.  
  
“I just need to find her and apologize.” He sighed. “It was bad timing. I hope she’s okay, she doesn’t have her frying pan, or her frog, or anything she can use to fight.”  
  
Cassandra nodded. “Let me change clothes, then we’ll head out together.”  
  
Eugene nodded. “I’ll wait, but don’t take too long.”  
  
She walked out of the room and he finished packing food in his satchel, guessing she’ be hungry when they found her.  
  
He hoped she was okay…  
  
\--  
  
“Whoa, careful!” Varian said as Rapunzel slipped on something with a yelp. He caught her and helped her stand properly. “You should _really_ rethink this whole no-shoes thing. I guess you were really upset, huh?”  
  
She nodded, deciding not to say that she never wore shoes. After all, she wanted to keep pretending to be someone else just for a little while.  
  
“Alright, just a little further…and…here.” He led her into a tunnel in the cave and she stepped into a cavern that was filled with jewels of all kinds.  
  
“Ohh!” She gasped.  
  
“Thought you might like this.” He walked over and pulled out a hammer and chisel and started to get out one of the jewels. “These are more than pretty stones, though. Every single one of these has a different alchemical use. In fact, you could use _anything_ in alchemy, though you might not always get an actual useful result.” He chuckled.  
  
She smiled and walked over to look at the stones. “I just like to look at them. They’re beautiful.”  
  
“Yeah, you are.” He said softly.  
  
“Huh?” She looked at him.  
  
He blushed. “I-I said, ‘yeah, they are’.” She chuckled awkwardly, then went to go put more stones in his bag. “Oh!” She gasped. “That reminds me of something!”  
  
“What is it?” She asked.  
  
“My dad sometimes goes off to somewhere secretly, and one time I followed him, ‘cause I’m sneaky, and I saw these weird rocks on this cliff he went to. And the weird part is, I saw them around the Monument of the Sundrop.” He said in a hushed tone.  
  
“The what?” She blinked.  
  
“The Monument of the—it’s where the Sundrop Flower was found, the one that saved Queen Arianna and Princess Rapunzel.” He explained. “Do you want to go see it?”  
  
“Where is it?” She asked curiously.  
  
“About a mile beyond the wall.” He shrugged. “It’s a bit of a walk, but...if you’re up to it?”  
  
Her eyes lit up. “Yes!”  
  
He smiled and then went to collect more stones. “Okay, let me get a few more samples and then we’ll head off that way.”  
  
\--  
  
To get beyond the wall undetected, they would have to sneak to his house in a farming village called Old Corona and get up on the roof. From there, they would climb down a rope and get to the other side. It was a simple enough plan, except that they had to avoid being seen by anyone, which of course meant a lot of Rapunzel giggling nervously when they were close to being caught and Varian shushing her many times.  
  
They managed it, though, somehow. When they reached a certain point, Varian showed her how to get under the town and led her through a tunnel system.  
  
“Ohh, what’s that?” Rapunzel asked, stopping to look at a large, metal object.  
  
“Oh, uh, that’s a work in progress.” Varian said, pulling her along. “It’s not done yet. Come on, the trapdoor to my lab is this way. From my lab, we can get to my house. And we can also get rope and stuff.”  
  
They reached a trapdoor and he climbed up the ladder before opening it and peeking out. He looked around, then climbed out and motioned for her to come up.  
  
“Varian?” She heard someone say, and he quickly shut the door. She climbed up the ladder and listened.  
  
“Varian, where have you been all day?”  
  
“I’ve been here.”  
  
“But, one of the neighbors said they saw you going to the woods.”  
  
“I did, briefly, but then I came back. That was hours ago.”  
  
A heavy sigh. “Just…try to stay out of trouble, alright? I’m going back out to the field.”  
  
She heard footsteps walking away, and then the trapdoor opened and Varian offered her a hand up. She took it and he helped her climb out before he shut the door. Then he went to a box and pulled out a long coil of rope before he motioned for her to follow him. She did so, quietly, and he led her through a door, peeked through a window, then through another door. He kept checking out a window all the way to the roof, where he climbed up first and looked around cautiously. After a bit, he nodded, tied the rope around the chimney, then offered her a hand out of the window he climbed out of.  
  
“Alright…you ready?” He asked quietly. “Last chance to say ‘no’.”  
  
She smiled and walked over to grab the rope. “Let’s do this.”  
  
He nodded and then walked over to lower the rope to the other side. She smiled, feeling giddy, and then they both started to climb down slowly.  
  
They stepped down on the ground and she looked around in awe at the world outside the wall. “Oh, wow…” She breathed. “It’s…it’s amazing. Look at it! There’s so much!”  
  
He smiled and took her hand. “Come on, it’s this way.” He led her along and she eagerly followed, feeling lighter than ever.  
  
“Have you ever gone down that road?” She asked as they walked.  
  
“Uhm, no, the farthest I’ve gone is the monument, and don’t tell my dad.” He chuckled. “Ah, I’d probably be grounded for life if he found out I’ve snuck outside the Kingdom.”  
  
“Yeah, mine too.” Rapunzel nodded. “But, doesn’t that just add to the thrill?” She asked excitedly.  
  
“Heh, yeah.” He nodded. “I suppose so.”  
  
\--  
  
It was sunset by the time they reached the monument. To get to it, they had to cross an old, crumbling bridge. “It’s okay, we can cross it.” He assured her. “We just have to step lightly.”  
  
She nodded and then they started across together, moving single-file to avoid putting too much weight on one spot. When they got to the other side, they walked side-by-side again until they had to walk single-file to get down the cliff to the monument.  
  
“Here we are.” He said as they reached it. “The Sundrop Monument.”  
  
She walked over to it, looking in awe. “This is where the flower was found?”  
  
“Yeah.” He nodded, walking over to examine one of the rocks next to it. “Look at these. I’ve never seen anything like them. I mean, possibly obsidian, but the texture is…”  
  
He faltered as he noticed the rocks starting to glow and then reached into his apron, pulling out a pencil and notepad. “Fascinating…” He said as he started to take notes. He looked up and noticed that she’d moved to stand next to him. “Are they reacting to _you_?” He wondered aloud.  
  
“Why would they be reacting to _me_?” She asked, looked at them in awe.  
  
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “But, they didn’t do anything until you got closer.”  
  
“Hmm…” She looked at the glowing rock curiously. “I’m gonna touch it.”  
  
“You sure that’s a good idea?” He asked, looking at her.  
  
“Why not?” She shrugged. “I want to see what happens.”  
  
He looked thoughtful, then shrugged. “Hey, far me it from _me_ to stop a scientific experiment.”  
  
She giggled and then reached up to touch one of the rocks. She’d barely touched it with the tip of her finger before they were suddenly knocked back by a blue blast of energy, letting out screams of alarm as they flew back and hit the cliff behind them.  
  
\--  
  
The sun had fully set by the time Rapunzel woke up. She let out a groan of pain and held the back of her head before she looked next to her and saw Varian unconscious. “Uh oh.” She got up and moved over to him, dropping down next to him. “Varian?”  
  
“Nn…” He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. “Uh…Rhapsody? Your hair is…?”  
  
She gasped as she noticed part of her bangs starting to glow golden-yellow. “Oh no…”  
  
He pushed himself into sitting up. “Hey, it’s okay.” He reached up to gently cup her cheek. “We can get that checked out in my lab, it’s probably some kind of reaction to a chemical imbalance—” He yelped as a black rock suddenly jutted up out of the ground near them.  
  
“Uh, is that bad?” She grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet as more rocks came up.  
  
“I don’t know, they’ve never done this before, I-I don’t think. I never actually touched them when I came here last time, and they didn’t do this when _dad_ touched them…” He stepped back as more rocks jutted out. “I _do_ know that they look dangerous and are coming out at an increasingly alarming rate and we should—”  
  
“Run?” She took his hand and they ran, the rocks continuing to come out, seeming to be _pursuing_ them.  
  
They ran from the rocks, neither of them daring to look back until Varian suddenly let go and reached into his satchel, putting two glowing vials together and throwing them at the rocks. They exploded against them and he stared in awe. “Amazing! They aren’t dented even a little bit, but that explosion would’ve blown open a hole in any normal rock!”  
  
“Varian!” She cried in alarm as more rocks came out.  
  
He pulled out another vial and tossed it, with the same lack of effect. “Acid doesn’t work either?! What _is_ this rock?!”  
  
“Varian, come _on_!” She grabbed his hand again.  
  
“Oh, uh, right!” He nodded and they continued to run, the rocks continuing their relentless pursuit. “From what I can see, they appear to be completely indestructible! I’ll have to do some more tests!” He said, looking over his shoulder.  
  
“Tests later, run now!” She cried, and he looked forward and focused on escaping.  
  
They reached a hilltop and she held on tight to him as they both jumped to put more distance between them and the rocks quicker. Varian gasped as her hair turned completely golden-yellow, glowing completely, and then they landed and quickly got up, Varian looking back at her long hair. “Wait, hold on, you’re the princess!?” He realized.  
  
“Yes, I’m sorry, I lied, why did my hair grow?!” She cried.  
  
“It’s okay, I get why you would. Let me get that.” He ran back to gather up her hair and then he ran back to her with the bundle in his arms. “Let’s keep running, we’ll talk about it once we’re safe!”  
  
She nodded and they ran on, hurrying across the bridge as fast as they could run. Just as they reached the other side, the bridge got stabbed into by black rocks and fell apart and Varian screamed as he fell, still holding Rapunzel’s hair.  
  
She cried out as she dropped to her knees and looked down to see he had, mercifully, not let go. “Varian! Don’t let go, I’ll pull you up!” She called.  
  
“O-Okay.” He said fearfully from below.  
  
She slowly got up and grabbed her hair, stepping back more and more as she tugged on her hair. “Ngh! Varian, I need you to climb, okay?”  
  
“Okay!” He called back, and she felt the little tugs on her hair he climbed up it, then reached out a hand to grab his and help him climb up onto solid ground with her.  
  
“Well!” He gasped as he got up next to her. “ _This_ has certainly been an adventure!”  
  
She giggled a bit, then looked out at the black rocks, which seemed to have stopped moving. “So…uhm…yeah.” She sighed, fidgeting with her hair. “I’m…the princess.”  
  
He shifted position next to her, facing her more. “I suppose you have a decent reason for hiding your identity?”  
  
She nodded. “When I first left the tower, it was the day before my birthday. I traveled through the woods and I met people and all they saw was a girl from a tower, a girl with a dream to see the ’floating lights’. When I got the city on my actual birthday, I was able to meet so many new people, and just be…myself. No one knew me as the princess, I was just one face among many. I could relax and be happy and not have to worry about guards or rules or expectations.” She looked down. “When I met you, I thought…why not try to have that back? Just for a little while. And I did, and it was…it was amazing, spending time with you, being _free_ with you…”  
  
She sighed. “Back at home, all I am to my father, to the guards, to the castle staff is…the lost princess. And because I was lost for so long, they have to protect me from anyone and anything…even myself, I suppose. And then there’s Eugene, who has seen _so much_ and I thought he could show me the _world_ , but he just wanted to lock me away inside the Kingdom forever like everyone else.”  
  
She looked at him. “Varian, I’m sorry that I lied to you. You deserve so much better a friend than that, and I understand if you…if you don’t want anything to do with me now.” She bowed her head, her hands clasped in her lap.  
  
He smiled softly and gently took one of her hands. “Rhap…” He chuckled. “ _Rapunzel_ , I understand why you did it. I get it. If you’d told me who you were from the start, I probably would’ve done something like acted all…you know, loyal subject-y and…maybe even let the guards find us because that’s what my father would’ve _wanted_ me to do. But, because you hid who you were from me, I got to meet the _real_ Rapunzel, not the princess, but the girl who is scared of feeling trapped again, the girl who loves to paint and explore the woods and adores animals. And I’m happy I got to meet her.” He gently squeezed her hand. “Of course, I still want to be friends, Rapunzel. I’ve had more fun with you today than I think I’ve had in my _entire life_. And I’ve loved every moment we’ve spent together, and no titles or whatever can change that.”  
  
She chuckled a bit and nodded. “Yeah.” She then sighed and looked back at her long hair. “What am I going to do about _this_ , though? My father is going to _freak_ …”  
  
“Well, let’s see if we can shorten it. I mean, didn’t cutting it work before?” He reached into his satchel and pulled out his little knife and then took some of her hair into his hand, which he tried to cut. Instead, they both watch as his knife bent out of shape. “Uh oh…”  
  
“Uh, sorry.” She said sheepishly.  
  
“It’s fine, I’ll get another. I’m more concerned about the fact that it, apparently, cannot be cut anymore.” He held it up, looking at her hair thoughtfully. “I wonder what _else_ has changed?”  
  
They heard voices calling and looked over. “Uh oh, they found us.” Rapunzel said, looking towards the torchlights in the distance.  
  
“Varian!”  
  
They looked to the side and saw a large man running to them. Varian got up and was pulled into a tight, enveloping hug. “Varian, what are you _doing_ out here?!”  
  
“Rapunzel!”  
  
“Princess!”  
  
“What the _hair_?!”  
  
She stood up as they were joined by Eugene, Cassandra and the Royal Guard. “Uhm...hi.”  
  
“Rapunzel…what happened?” Cassandra asked.  
  
“It’s…a long story.” She said sheepishly.  
  
“Sir Quirin.” The Captain of the Guards turned to the large man. “Is _your_ _son_ involved in…this?” He gestured to her.  
  
Quirin looked at her hair, then towards the rocks across the way, then at Varian. “Varian?”  
  
Varian sighed, glancing away. “We don’t know what exactly happened. I found her in the woods, crying, and decided to cheer her up. I didn’t know who she was. We found a cave with some pretty rocks and I…I remembered following you _here_ once and seeing some new stones and thought I’d show them to her.”  
  
“When I got close to them, they started to glow. We got curious about it, so I touched one of them and then some…blast of energy knocked us out. When we woke up, my hair was starting to turn golden-yellow again and the rocks decided to start multiplying and trying to attack us. We ran and ran and…well, by the time we got back here, my hair had grown out again.” Rapunzel stood up and faced the Captain of the Royal Guard. “Don’t get mad at Varian. I ran away on my own, I just…I needed space, I felt _trapped_ , and without knowing all the details he decided to invite me to join him as he went around collecting samples for his alchemy. I lied about my identity and everything, the blame for this rests solely on me.”  
  
Quirin sighed and rubbed Varian’s head before he let go of him. “The King should be informed.”  
  
“Yes, let us return to the castle.” The Captain nodded.  
  
Eugene got down from Maximus as Cassandra got down from her own horse, Fidella. “We almost gave up for the night, but then we saw this…wave of blue light coming from this direction and I thought, ‘well, that looks like magic, so my beautiful girlfriend must be involved’. Heh. And I was right!”  
  
“Heh…yeah.” Rapunzel nodded.  
  
“Let’s get you on the horse. Kid, why don’t you ride with me?” Cassandra suggested to Varian.  
  
“I would prefer he stays with me.” Quirin said calmly, moving a hand to Varian’s shoulder.  
  
Cassandra shrugged. “Okay.”  
  
Rapunzel got on behind Eugene and Pascal hopped over her shoulder before letting out a squeak of concern, grabbing her hair.  
  
“Yeah, uh…” She chuckled nervously. “About the hair? I…don’t think it can be cut this time, buddy.”  
  
“Wait, what?” Eugene looked back at her.  
  
“It seems to have taken on a similar chemical composition to the rocks, sharing a trait of being indestructible.” Varian explained.  
  
“Meaning what?” Eugene looked at him.  
  
“Indestructible…” Varian sighed. “Can’t be destroyed? Unbreakable?”  
  
“Ohhhh…” Eugene nodded. “That’s…not good.”  
  
“Yeah, especially when there’s now seventy feet of hair I have to brush every day.” Cassandra smirked as she finished gathering up Rapunzel’s hair and putting it in her lap. “Hold onto this for me, would you?”  
  
Rapunzel smiled sheepishly.  
  
“Let us return.” The Captain said, and they all started back to Corona. Varian and Rapunzel looked over their shoulders at the rocks, both of them wondering what they were and where they came from.


	2. Suspicious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing about the "Duchess of Quintonia", Varian does some investigating at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c) Disney

Many things ran through King Frederic’s head as he was told of what had happened since Rapunzel ran out during the coronation banquet. The biggest one being something he _really_ wanted to say, but kept to himself for the sake of his friendship with Quirin: _Why_ couldn’t he keep his son _under control_? It’s not like he didn’t have him for most of his life and had now only really been a parent, with him present to _be_ parented, for _six months_! After all these years, you’d think that Varian wouldn’t be doing things like sneaking off into the woods and beyond the walls of the Kingdom with a woman he _just met_!  
  
But, of course, he kept such thoughts to himself and rubbed his temple, thinking of a more urgent matter. The Coronation, of which the guests had already arrived. The Coronation, which was _today_.   
  
Rapunzel stood in front of him wearing her dirtied banquet dress with a bulky gray coat over it that he suspected belonged to the lad and long, golden-yellow hair that stretched out behind her like an obnoxious tail and a reminder of those long years of anxiously hoping for a single sign that she might still be out there and could come home.  
  
“Sire,” His Royal Advisor, Nigel, said, “perhaps it would be prudent to cancel the coronation for now?”  
  
“No, it’s far too short-notice, the guests are already here.” He said grimly. “And you say that her hair cannot be cut?” He asked, addressing the child.  
  
“Yes, sir.” Varian reached into his satchel and pulled out what probably _used_ to be a paring knife and was now a misshapen hunk of iron. “It was the first thing we tried, after we escaped the rocks. And, as I explained, I attempted to destroy the rocks with two different fool-proof methods, but neither of them worked. I have yet to try them on her hair, but I think the knife is proof enough.” He offered it as evidence.  
  
King Frederic sighed and nodded to Nigel, who accepted it and handed it to him. He took it and looked it over with a frown. Yes, it was…most definitely damaged. He handed it back and Nigel took it and handed it to the child, who put it back in his bag. “Well…then, we must find a way to disguise this. We cannot have it getting out to the world that her hair has grown back.”  
  
Rapunzel fidgeted with her hair and glanced at her mother, who had been quiet this entire time. “Uhm…well…” She sighed. “I don’t know.”  
  
“You could say it’s a wig.” Varian suggested.  
  
“A _wig_?” Cassandra looked at him.  
  
“Yeah.” Varian nodded. “I’ve heard of these big, bulky wigs that some rich women have been wearing lately, you could just say you’re doing the same thing to try to fit in.”  
  
Rapunzel gasped. “Oh my gosh, you’re right! Like the Duchess of Quintonia!”  
  
Varian stared blankly at her. “Duchess of _what_?”  
  
“The Duchess of Quintonia! She told me about this, uhm, hand-woven coiffure that designates high social status!” Rapunzel explained.  
  
King Frederic noticed that the gears, so to speak, in Varian’s head were turning from the way his eyes were shifting around as she spoke. Varian was a very intelligent young man, though he was sometimes _too_ intelligent for his excitable young mind to properly handle, and if he was thinking that something was off here, it was worth paying some attention.  
  
“Yeeeah…uhm, yeah. Like those.” He finally said, but still looked troubled. Whatever he’d been thinking, he decided to keep it to himself. “It shouldn’t be hard to style your hair like those wigs and the lie _works_ , especially because your hair and eyebrows no longer match in color.”  
  
“He’s right.” Eugene nodded. “But, geez, that’s gonna be a _lot_ of hair to style. Hah, good luck, Cassandra!”  
  
“Yes, well…for now, it is late, we should all be in bed. Nigel, please show Quirin and Varian to a guest room for the night.” King Frederic sighed.  
  
“Yes, sire.” Nigel bowed. “Come along, please.”  
  
King Frederic sighed heavily as they all left the throne room, then looked at his wife. “Arianna?”  
  
“I’m just…worried.” She said softly. “If her healing hair is truly back…”  
  
He reached out and took her hand. “No one will take her from us, Arianna. Never again.” He stood up and walked over to pull her to her feet. “Let’s go to bed now. Our little girl is home again.”  
  
She nodded and they left together.  
  
\--  
  
Varian pretended to sleep until he heard his father sleeping, and then he crept out of bed. He’d gotten very good at this, sneaking out when his father was asleep. It was when he got things done most often. He crept out of bed and then slipped on his accessories and boots before he slipped out of the room, closing it silently. With the doors so well-oiled, the hinges didn’t even creak, making this easier.  
  
He couldn’t sleep, not with all that he’d learned today. But, what troubled him right now wasn’t black rocks and mysteriously-growing hair, but something else that was mentioned. One of the guests, the Duchess of Quintonia. He crept in the shadows, avoiding being seen as he made his way through until he found a door with a plaque next to it that said, “Royal Library”. He opened the door and slipped inside before closing it behind him and making his way through the rows of shelves until he found the geography section. He looked around to make sure he was alone, then reached into his apron and pulled out one of his vials and shook it to make it glow as he approached a globe and carefully turned it, checking it over. “Quintonia…Quintonia…” He murmured, then stepped back. “Not on there.” He walked over and pulled out map after map, using his vial to check over every single kingdom, anywhere that might have a duchess. “Quintonia…hm…” He sat back, tapping his gloved fingers on the map thoughtfully. “I don’t see any sign of a Quintonia. But, the royal family seemed to be completely accepting of it and welcomed her in, regardless. Even weirder, they didn’t question the fact that she never gave a name. Is it possible that she has some kind of perfume that addles the mind while around her? I would have to check her belongings.”  
  
He rolled up the maps, put them back exactly where he took them from, then put the vial back in his apron before he headed back out into the hallway.  
  
Now, normally he would never even _think_ of invading a lady’s bedroom, much less rifling through her belongings like a thief, but this mysterious woman’s story didn’t add up and there was a chance that she was here to hurt his new – and only – friend, so he was willing to break a few rules.  
  
The guest rooms were guarded, of course. He reached into his satchel and carefully mixed up something that would make them sleepy, something he’d used on his father once or twice when he wanted to sneak out but his father just wasn’t going to bed. Once it was done, tossed the contents of the vial he’d just filled at the guards patrolling the guest rooms from where he was hiding around the corner.  
  
They started to feel sleepy and slumped against the wall, snoring away. He looked around, then crept past them to check the guest rooms.  
  
He needed to find the one that would clearly be wearing a wig. Sorry, _coiffure_. If she didn’t want her cover blown by any nosy maids, she wouldn’t remove it even when she slept. He finally found the room and slipped inside, closing the door behind him once he was inside.  
  
‘Not bad, Varian.’ He thought. ‘Flynn Rider would be proud. Now, let’s find that perfume.’ He crept around the room, opening drawers and chests, glancing over at the sleeping woman as he worked.  
  
He finally found a perfume bottle and carefully took it from its place before he pulled out his mask to cover his face and put it on, then opened the bottle to check the contents.  
  
‘There’s a distinct floral scent, for sure, but there’s something else…ah, I know that smell! It’s from a mushroom that makes you feel disoriented when you eat it.’ He reached into his satchel and pulled out a mushroom he’d picked earlier while with Rapunzel. ‘Pretty sure it’s this one. I use it in my more potent sleeping serums.’  
  
He put the mushroom away, then closed the bottle before putting it back where he found it. Then he closed the lid of the chest and got up to creep over to the bed. ‘Why do you need a wig?’ He thought. ‘Who are you, really?’ He reached up to move the coiffure.  
  
A hand grabbed his wrist and he bit back a yelp of alarm as the woman sat up, glaring at him.  
  
“Who the _hell_ are you?” She demanded.  
  
“That’s _my_ question, Miss Duchess-of-a-Kingdom-that-doesn’t-exist.” He said smugly from behind his mask.  
  
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Get out before I call the guards.” She said sharply, letting go of his wrist.  
  
He stepped back, seeming to give up, then turned and opened the chest before he grabbed the perfume and ran to open the door, throwing it open as she got out of bed.  
  
“Hey!” The woman called, getting to the door. “Get back here!”  
  
He held the perfume bottle close to him as he ran, then ducked into a side room before she could see where he went. He let out a sigh and looked at the bottle. ‘With any luck, she’ll be unable to trick them without this.’  
  
“Where did you _go_?” The woman said angrily as she stalked by. He looked through the keyhole, then swallowed a gasp as he saw her coiffure had come loose.  
  
‘Auburn hair…and a red streak. Lady Caine!’ He realized, paling a bit.  
  
Anyone that paid attention to the criminals of the kingdom knew about Lady Caine. After losing her father when he was arrested and taken to prison when the King was cracking down on crime heavily to try to find his daughter, she had gotten into crime herself, but been more careful about it. While Varian had never met her himself, he’d seen her wanted poster and the older kids – when they used to spend time with him at all – would talk about her with dreamy tones in their voices.  
  
If Lady Caine was here, she definitely had trouble in mind. And if she was still looking for him, then clearly she needed this perfume to achieve her goal.  
  
He watched her adjust the coiffure to properly conceal her hair again and then she let out a heavy sigh. “It’s okay. I can manage without it. Everyone will be too distracted with the coronation to notice anything amiss until it’s too late. Ugh, if only I could find that thief…but, I can’t risk calling the guards. Darn it!”  
  
He waited for her to walk back the other way, to her room, then opened the door and dashed out. He heard her yell “Hey!” as he darted around the corner and when he reached his room, he threw open the door and ran in, slamming it behind him.  
  
“What? What?” Quirin was up in moments, his gaze falling on his son. “Varian, what happened?”  
  
“We need to talk to the Captain!” Varian cried, clutching at the perfume bottle. “It’s urgent!”  
  
He nodded and quickly got dressed. “What happened?”  
  
“Okay, so I snuck out to try to find out if Quintonia was a real place, because I’d never heard of it, and I realized that it doesn’t exist, so how could she be a duchess! And the fact that no one questioned it made me suspicious, so I went to her room and snuck inside and found this perfume. I haven’t actually _tested_ it yet, but I recognized the scent, under the floral one, of a mushroom that addles the brain and I realized that that must be how she tricked them, but using this perfume. Then I started to check under her fancy wig—coiffure—and that’s when she woke up and now she’s after me because I took her perfume!” Varian explained quickly as his father got ready.  
  
“Alright.” He nodded. “Hand me the perfume, I’ll take care of things.”  
  
Varian tensed. “Actually, heh, she kind of…you know, _saw_ me, so if I don’t go with you…”  
  
Quirin’s eyes widened and he nodded, then opened the door and looked out before ushering him out and leading him down the hall, looking around cautiously as they headed for the Captain’s office.  
  
\--  
  
“Captain!” Varian ran in first, startling the man that was starting to doze at his desk during the lull.  
  
“Oh no. What now?” He asked, then flinched when Varian set down a strange bottle on his desk. Upon closer inspection, it was a perfume bottle. “What’s happened?” He asked, guessing it was suspicious. He started to open it, but Varian held up a hand and then put a familiar-looking mushroom on the desk. He left the bottle alone and examined the mushroom. “What is this?”  
  
Varian took a deep breath, then looked at his father. “Can I tell him?”  
  
“It’s your story to tell.” Quirin sighed.  
  
“Okay, so, something didn’t feel right when I heard about the ‘Duchess of Quintonia’, so I snuck out of bed and into the royal library because they’d have the most up-to-date stuff and I searched for Quintonia on a map. It doesn’t exist. So, I realized that since no one thought it was odd that she not only said she was from somewhere that doesn’t exist, she _also_ didn’t give her name. So I thought about it and realized she must be using something to addle the brain of people around her, and I was right, because I put the patrolling guards to sleep so she wouldn’t be alarmed and snuck into her room and found _this_.” He gestured to the bottle. “I put my protective filtering mask on and checked it out and underneath the floral scent, I detected the scent of this mushroom, which means she must’ve used the essence of it in this perfume and that’s why no one suspects her!”  
  
The Captain sighed. “Alright…ignoring all the… _illegal_ things you mentioned doing, did you happen to learn who she was?”  
  
“Yes.” Varian nodded. “When she woke up and caught me, she chased me out and her coiffure came loose. She had auburn hair with a red stripe. It’s La—”  
  
“Lady Caine!” The Captain stood up. “If you’re right, then…I need guards! Sir Quirin, please come assist us! Varian, stay in here!”  
  
“But, I can he—”  
  
“Stay!” They both said, before they left and locked him in.  
  
He sighed and kicked at the ground. “Yes, sir.” He mumbled, glancing at the perfume bottle.  
  
\--  
  
Rapunzel was woken up by some kind of commotion going on downstairs and Cassandra at her bedside. “Cass, what’s going on?”  
  
“One of the guests was found to be a criminal in disguise, the Royal Guard is apprehending her right now.” Cassandra explained. “From what I hear, it was your new _little friend_ that found her out.”  
  
“Varian? Is he okay?” She pushed the blanket off of her and got up, Pascal climbing up onto her shoulder.  
  
“He’s fine, he’s secure in my dad’s office.” Cassandra assured her. “I was sent over to keep you from running off to check things out, because they figured there’d be a commotion.”  
  
Rapunzel sighed and brushed her hair behind her ear. “What did she want?”  
  
“We don’t know yet, but we’ll find out. It was the Duchess of Quintonia, by the way.”  
  
“Varian _was_ acting kind of odd after hearing about her.” Rapunzel said thoughtfully. “I need to find out what happened.” She headed for the door.  
  
“Ah, not until we get the all-clear.” Cassandra shook her head. “Trust me, Raps, _I_ want to go find out, too.”  
  
She sighed and walked over to step out onto the balcony. “Okay, then…I’ll wait.”  
  
Cassandra smiled and walked over to stand next to her. “It’s been a wild night, huh?”  
  
“I’m sorry for worrying you, Cass.” She looked at her.  
  
“Hey, I’m just glad you’re okay. The fact you were having fun makes it better.” Cassandra smiled.  
  
Rapunzel smiled a bit. “Varian’s dad and my dad seem close.”  
  
“Sir Quirin has been close with the King for longer than I’ve been alive.” Cassandra shrugged.   
  
“You keep saying ‘sir’, that means he’s a knight, right?” Rapunzel sat on the balcony railing, noticing that it’d quieted down downstairs.  
  
“Yeah, supposedly.” Cassandra shrugged. “But, not in _this_ Kingdom.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Rapunzel asked.  
  
“I heard he came from some unknown place and settled down in Old Corona.” Cassandra explained. “He met his wife here and then they had Varian, I guess, around…oh, fourteen years ago, I think? Fourteen, fifteen…he’s somewhere around there. I mostly know about him from reputation and what my dad has said about him.” She admitted.  
  
“Reputation?” Rapunzel frowned, thinking of what Varian had said before.  
  
“He’s, uh…” Cassandra shifted her wrist, “where _he_ goes, chaos tends to follow. Which is _probably_ why no one was even a _little_ surprised he was involved with…uh…” she picked up some of Rapunzel’s hair, “ _this_.”  
  
Rapunzel sighed, then looked over as the door to her room opened. “Cassandra,” one of the guards said, looking in, “the Captain says it’s safe to return to your room now. Oh, sorry for waking you, Princess.”  
  
“It’s okay, Stan.” She assured him. “Uhm, is Varian okay?”  
  
“Varian? Oh, right, yeah. He’s okay, he’s just doing a written statement of what happened for the records in the Captain’s office before he gets sent back to bed. We were sure lucky he was here, I mean, everyone _else_ was already affected by the brain-addling perfume Lady Caine was wearing during the day!” The guard said cheerfully. “Though, even if we _weren’t_ affected, I don’t think anyone but _him_ would’ve detected the mushroom extract in the perfume!”  
  
“Wait, _what_ happened?” Rapunzel asked, walking over to him.  
  
“Oh, apparently the criminal Lady Caine was using a brain-addling perfume to sneak her way into the castle. We haven’t interrogated her yet, but it’s believed that she intended to cause trouble during the coronation.” Stan explained. “She was calling herself the Duchess of Quintonia and Varian apparently found it freaky that no one thought it was suspicious! Apparently, Quintonia doesn’t exist! Who knew?”  
  
“ _I_ knew…” Cassandra frowned. “But, I was affected by the perfume. Wow, if we didn’t have Varian in the castle with us…it was a lucky break that you met him in the woods, Raps.”  
  
Rapunzel nodded. “I want to go see him and thank him.”  
  
“You can do that tomorrow. Once he’s done with my dad, he’s going back to bed and _you_ have a coronation tomorrow.” She ushered Rapunzel back to bed. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear _all_ the gratitude and praise _after_ he’s had some sleep.”  
  
Rapunzel sighed. “You’re right. He’s probably _exhausted_ right now.” She climbed back into bed, curling up under the covers. “But, at least we can all sleep easy, thanks to him.”  
  
“Heh, yeah.” Cassandra nodded. “Maybe he’s got some of that knight valor in him, too. Wonder if he’s gotten any training?”  
  
Rapunzel gve a little shrug and a yawn as she started to drift off. “G’night, Cass.”  
  
Cassandra smiled fondly. “Sleep well, Princess.” She walked over to close and lock the balcony doors and then headed out with Stan.  
  
\--  
  
“His worrisome actions leading up to it aside, it is clear that his intentions were nothing but helpful and, had he not suspected her and investigated it himself, we would have been caught unawares.” The Captain said after giving Varian’s written statement to the King.  
  
“Yes.” King Frederic nodded, lowering the statement. “At least, this time, his well-intentioned breaking of the rules turned out well. I still want him monitored tomorrow, though. Just in case.”  
  
“Of course, Your Majesty.” The Captain nodded. “He and the Princess seem to get along.” He noted.  
  
King Frederic sighed. “Well, she could find _worse_ people to spend time with, such as _wanted thieves_.” He glanced away bitterly, thinking of how the notorious “Flynn Rider” had waltzed into the castle with her, declared a change of name and then Rapunzel had talked them into dropping all of his rather extensive – built up over an entire _decade_ – charges. Of course, he had no say over his criminal charges in the _other_ Kingdoms, but they would just have to deal with that if ever he decided to leave Corona.  
  
The Captain cleared his throat. “Well, if that is all, Your Majesty, I think it is time we both retired for the night.”  
  
“Yes.” He nodded, standing up and handing back the written statement. “Go get some rest, Captain. We have a long day tomorrow.”  
  
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He accepted it and bowed before heading out.  
  
King Frederic sighed and headed back to his own room, feeling both relieved that Lady Caine was handled, but apprehensive about…well, his daughter being involved with Quirin’s chaotic son. She already had problems fitting in as a princess before, she didn’t need to be dragged down by his colorful reputation. And yet, after what he’d done tonight, it didn’t seem right to keep them apart, either.  
  
He decided he was going to need a strong drink before he could sleep.  
  
\--  
  
“I’m really okay, dad. She didn’t even see my face.” Varian assured him. “Much less the…you know.” He tugged at the unmistakable teal streak in his hair. “And it was too dark in the halls to see my clothes.”  
  
Quirin sighed and held him close to him again. “Good. Just…” he looked at him, “I’m proud of you for what you did tonight, but _please_ do not do something like this without informing me again, alright? I can _help_ you.”  
  
Varian’s eyes lit up and he hugged him tightly. “Okay, dad. Sorry for worrying you.”  
  
Quirin gently ran his hands through his son’s hair. “Now, let’s go to sleep. We don’t want to be underfoot during the coronation tomorrow, so we have to wake up early.”  
  
“Yes, dad.” He let go of him and then climbed under the covers, smiling up at him. “Good night.”  
  
Quirin brushed his bangs out of his face and smiled. “Sleep well, son.” He then got up and went to get into his own bed.  
  
Varian rolled over onto his side and curled up tighter in the blanket with a happy sigh. He’d never been told his father was proud of him before. It felt good. He went to sleep with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that could've ended badly! But, it didn't!


	3. Coronation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lady Caine behind bars, there's nothing keeping Rapunzel between her and her crown!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c) Disney

It was coronation day! Rapunzel couldn’t help but feel nervous as she sat at her vanity, looking at the shoes she’d have to wear. She could take the big, poofy dress, but the heels on these things made it so she couldn’t walk without falling over, as if wearing shoes at _all_ wasn’t bad enough.  
  
“So, uh…how do we want this…styled?” Cassandra asked as she held up parts of Rapunzel’s hair. “What did you _used_ to do?”  
  
“I got it braided by these adorable little girls when I first came to the city but, before that, I wasn’t allowed to style it.” Rapunzel replied.  
  
“Right…” Cassandra sighed. “I’m gonna need backup for this. Wait here.” She headed out of the room.  
  
Rapunzel sighed, then looked up when she heard the door open and looked over to see Varian shyly looking in. “Varian, hi!” She stood up.  
  
“U-Uhm, hi. I was told your room was up here.” He stepped inside, looking uncomfortable in a fancy outfit that he definitely didn’t own.  
  
“What’s this?” She walked over to look at it closer.  
  
“Uhm, my dad got invited to stay for the coronation, so we got…well, clothes for it. His Majesty provided it, so I can’t really complain, but this…” He tugged at the cravat.  
  
She giggled and helped him remove it. “I don’t think you need this part.”  
  
He nodded, unbuttoning the top two buttons. “Oh, thank the Sun, I can breathe.”  
  
“I heard about what you did last night. You put yourself in danger to try to stop someone suspicious.” She pulled him close into a hug. “Thank you.”  
  
He smiled up at her. “Well, I mean, friends help each other, right?”  
  
She smiled and brushed his bangs out of his face. “I’m surprised these weren’t pinned back.”  
  
“They tried.” He shrugged. “My hair ‘refuses to cooperate’.”  
  
“Yeah, speaking of hair…” She looked over at her hair.  
  
He blinked. “Yeah, we need to get this taken care of. What style do you want?”  
  
“Uhm, a braid?” She shrugged.  
  
“That’s not too hard.” He carefully moved behind her. “Regular or fancy?”  
  
“Fancy?” She asked curiously.  
  
“It’d start up here.” He tapped the back of her head, near the top. “Actually, hold on.” He paused. “We’re gonna need a _lot_ of hairbands.”  
  
The door opened again and they looked over to see Eugene stepped in. “Good morning, beau—whoa.” He chuckled awkwardly. “I forgot about the hair thing.” He admitted. “Hey, uh, Varian, was it? People are talking a lot about you right now, something about catching a criminal before she could ruin the coronation?”  
  
“Yeah, uhm…I’m not used to the positive feedback.” Varian admitted quietly. “Do you have any hairbands?”  
  
Eugene laughed. “I think _you’re_ more likely to have any than _I_ am, kid. Where’s Cassandra?”  
  
“She said she was getting backup.” Rapunzel replied.  
  
“Backup?” Eugene asked.  
  
“Move, Fitzherbert.” He yelped as he got shoved aside and Cassandra came in with a few maids. “Okay, we have hairbands and more hands and—oh, hey, Varian.”  
  
“Hey.” He was already working on a smaller braid starting at the side of her head. “You have hairbands? Good, I need one.”  
  
“What are we doing here?” Cassandra asked as the girls got to work with gathering up and parting her long hair into sections.  
  
“I was thinking of braiding from the sides, then tying it in back over a thick French braid, then tying a bow around the bridge here.” He demonstrated what he meant.   
  
“Have you braided before?” Cassandra asked as she started on the other side.  
  
“I’m a farm kid, I’ve been braiding rope since I was five.” Varian said as he continued down the length of her hair.  
  
Eugene watched them work, then cleared his throat. “So, uh…Blondie, heh…we haven’t really had much time to talk since…uhm…”  
  
“Fitzherbert, if you’re going to be embarrassing again, at least do it when she’s not surrounded by people again.” Cassandra said as they all worked on Rapunzel’s hair.  
  
“Yeah, about that.” Eugene cleared his throat. “Sorry I put you on the spot like that. That was wrong of me. I just…it just felt like the right time, but I guess I was wrong.”  
  
“Oh, uhm…it’s okay, Eugene. I shouldn’t have run out like that.” She smiled a bit. “Though, I’m glad I did. It caught everyone so off-guard I managed to get outside to the woods.”  
  
“Yeah, apparently all the way to outside the wall.” Eugene nodded. “…How did you get out undetected, anyway?”  
  
“A secret way.” Varian replied.  
  
“Oh, come on, it’s not like you’d know about any of the secret tunnels.” Eugene rolled his eyes.  
  
“The secret _what_?” Cassandra leaned over a bit to look at him.  
  
“Uh, eheh…I gotta go.” Eugene stepped back, then fled the room, shutting the door behind him.  
  
“Secret tunnels? And Eugene’s _known_ about them?” Rapunzel pouted. “Then why did he never _take_ me to one? He knew how much I wanted to get out, just for a bit!”  
  
Varian shrugged, sticking out his tongue a bit as he worked on her hair, braiding it faster than the others. Then again, he _had_ started sooner.  
  
\--  
  
It took some time, and Varian assured them it’d get faster with practice, but Rapunzel’s hair was neatly braided up into a thick, fancy braid that had two braids meeting at the back of her head, with a pink ribbon that matched her dress tied around bridge. Then came the trouble of the shoes, which she tried to walk in and nearly fell over with a whimper.  
  
“Okay, _that’s_ not gonna be good.” Varian said, who had decided to stick around and help her out some more, as he brought his hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Hm…” He looked down at her feet, then looked at Cassandra. “Do we have any more pink ribbons?”  
  
“Ribbons?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
“We give people the _illusion_ of her wearing shoes by binding her feet in ribbons.” Varian explained. “Come on, humor me.”  
  
Cassandra looked doubtful, but nodded to the girls, who went to get more pink ribbons. Rapunzel walked over and sat on her bed. “Are you sure this will work?”  
  
“Trust me.” Varian assured her.  
  
Ribbons were brought over and he picked out one before looking up at Rapunzel. “Do you trust me?”  
  
She smiled and nodded. He nodded, then gently grabbed her foot before he started to wrap the ribbon around it again and around, not too tight but not too loose either, just enough to be still comfortable. “It’s not much different from bandaging a foot.” He said as he wrapped her up. Then he was less thorough as he wrapped up her leg, then tied it off at the back. Then he did the same to the other one before he looked at Cassandra. “Yellow, we need a yellow ribbon.”  
  
She nodded and went to get a couple, then brought it back. He carefully wrapped it around the point between her heel and the rest of her foot and then around the bottom of her ankle before he tied a little ribbon at the top of her foot. Then he did the same with the other one before stepping back. “Okay, try that.”  
  
She wriggled her toes and noticed she couldn’t see them wriggling, then slowly got up and set down her feet. To her delight, the lack of heels made it so that she didn’t feel unbalanced, and she walked across the room to look in the mirror.  
  
If you didn’t know any better, it _did_ look like shoes. She turned around in front of the mirror to look at the whole thing and then smiled at them. “It feels great!”  
  
“How did you know it would work?” Cassandra looked at him.  
  
“I, uh, destroyed my boots once or twice and just wrapped up my feet with black leather strips so my dad wouldn’t know, until I could get new ones.” He admitted sheepishly. “Had them like that for a couple weeks, no one knew.”  
  
“Ah, of course.” Cassandra nodded, looking amused. “You still have to get used to shoes eventually, though, Princess.”  
  
“Why, when we can just do this?” She asked, walking around the room in her new “shoes”. She then looked up at the ceiling above her. “I just realized, with my hair long now, _I can do so much painting_!”  
  
“Aaaand she’s not listening.” Cassandra sighed. Varian shrugged with a smile.  
  
\--  
  
As her coronation grew closer, the castle was bustling. The guests were entertained and the cooks were busy in the kitchen for the After-Coronation Feast and everyone was looking forward to the big event.  
  
“Okay, so if you get nervous, just took a deep breath, hold it for six seconds, then release it. Trust me, it works.” Varian advised as Rapunzel got dressed behind a curtain with Cassandra’s help.  
  
“Hey, why are you helping her out, anyway?” Cassandra asked. “Why aren’t you with your dad?”  
  
“Uhm, the King wanted to talk to my dad, and they suggested I go find Rapunzel and see if she needs any help.” He admitted. “Which is weird, because last night my dad was saying that we shouldn’t be underfoot, but my dad does a lot of stuff that I silently question but have to just deal with.”  
  
“Figures.” Cassandra snorted. “Dads, huh?”  
  
She stepped back and Rapunzel stepped out behind her, dressed in her coronation gown. She smiled shyly and turned to Varian. “So, uhm…how does it look?”  
  
He looked her up and down. “What about that jewelry you had on yesterday?”  
  
Rapunzel looked at Cassandra, who went and got it, helping her put it on. “There we go.”  
  
Varian smiled and gave a thumbs-up. “I think you’re ready to be crowned, Princess.”  
  
They heard a knock at the door and Queen Arianna opened the door and stepped inside. “I hope I’m not interrupting?” She asked, carrying a box.  
  
“Mom!” Rapunzel smiled.  
  
“May we have the room?” Queen Arianna looked at them and everyone but Rapunzel bowed before they left the room together. She smiled as Varian closed the door behind him and then looked back at Rapunzel. “You look beautiful.” She walked over to her. “Things have been so busy that we barely had a chance to eat together, and I didn’t give this to you then.” She set the box down on Rapunzel’s vanity and she walked over to open it. “I know it’s a little early for a coronation gift, but I thought you might like to see it now.”  
  
Rapunzel opened the box and saw two books. She took out the top one, which looked old and worn and well-used, then smiled warmly at her mother before she opened it. ‘Eighteenth of July, we embarked on a safari to the most remote plains of the third continent’.” She turned to a random page. “’Twenty-first of May, had to take shelter in a hidden cave to escape the fury of a violent storm’.” She turned another page. “Twelfth of April, helped villagers rebuild their war-torn homes’.” She looked up at her. “Mom, is this _yours_? Did you actually _do_ all of this?”  
  
Her mother smiled. “Rapunzel, before I met your father, I was _so much_ like you.” She chuckled a bit. “I had _no_ idea what I was supposed to _do_ in this world.” She reached into the box and picked up the other book. “So, I went out and found my own way.”  
  
Rapunzel set the other book back in the box and accepted it, looking at the cover. It looked newer, like it was still in use, or hadn’t been used yet. She opened it up and looked at it with surprise, noticing the pages were blank.  
  
“Your father is right about one thing. You are a Princess and will be Queen someday.” Queen Arianna said gently. “But, only _you_ get to decide what kind of Queen you will be. And no one can tell you the best way to make that decision.” She gently ran her hand over Rapunzel’s long, blonde hair. “I think we all know that you couldn’t be influenced into that kind of thing no matter what anyone did.”  
  
Rapunzel sighed. “But, how _can_ I, if…” She paused. “Wait. Are you suggesting that I should…”  
  
“Honey,” Queen Arianna gently took her hand, “find a way to fill those pages. I only ask that you be safe, be smart and, above all, be true to yourself.”  
  
Rapunzel turned to the front of the book and saw writing on the inside of the cover.   
  
[“Plus est en vous”  
Love, Mother.]

“’Plus est en vous’?” Rapunzel asked, awkwardly pronouncing the unfamiliar language.  
  
“’ _Plus est en vous_ ’.” Queen Arianna gently corrected, using the proper French pronunciation. “It means, ‘there is more in you’.”  
  
Rapunzel smiled brightly and hugged her mother, then stepped back, holding the book close. “I will find a way to fill these pages.” She promised. “And, maybe, I can make more friends. Should I write about yesterday, do you think?”  
  
“Of course.” Queen Arianna smiled. “And today. After all, it _is_ a very big day.”  
  
Rapunzel nodded and set the book down on her vanity as her mother picked up the box and closed it. “Hey…mom?” She looked at her. “Dad’s not… _mad_ is, he? He was kind of quiet during breakfast.”  
  
“He’s just thinking, dear.” She assured her. “No much happened yesterday, between you running out after being proposed to so suddenly and then your hair growing back after you spent hours with, well, I’m sure you’ve heard of his reputation by now. And then us finding out that Lady Caine was in disguise…”   
  
“Yeah, that _was_ kind of scary. But, _whatever_ she was planning, we were able to stop it with Varian’s help.” Rapunzel smiled. “I’m sure that’s helped his reputation a little.”  
  
“Well, certain details have been omitted from public knowledge, but yes, I think it has.” Queen Arianna nodded.  
  
The door opened and Cassandra looked in. “Your Majesty? Your Highness? It’s time.”  
  
“Oh, wow.” Rapunzel fidgeted with the high collar of her dress. “Do I look okay?”  
  
“You look beautiful.” Queen Arianna assured her. “Let’s add a crown to that outfit, hm?”  
  
Rapunzel smiled and then they all headed out together.  
  
\--  
  
Rapunzel was left at the door to the throne room while the Queen went to go into a side door to wait. Cassandra smoothed out her dress and then made sure her necklace was straight, as well as the ribbon in her hair, then checked on her “shoes” to make sure they were secure under her dress. Then she stood up and nodded. “Alright, Princess. It’s your time to shine.” She said, taking Pascal from Rapunzel’s shoulder and putting him on her own.  
  
Rapunzel nodded. “Wish me luck.” She stroked Pascal’s nose with a smile.  
  
She was walked forward, and two guards opened each door for her. She smiled nervously as she entered, her hands clasped in front of her as she looked around. Everyone turned to watch her watch, and she got an encouraging smile from Eugene and Varian, standing next to his father, mimed inhaling and exhaling. She took a deep breath, held it for six seconds, then slowly released it and found she felt lighter. Then she nodded and walked down the aisle, passing by nobles from both near and far, her head tilted up in a regal manner as she made her way to the thrones, to the crown sitting on its cushion.  
  
She heard comments on her “amazing wig” and some people said that she looked like she was “floating across the room” and many people made comments on her “lovely appearance” and she couldn’t help but feel happy about it. No one could tell that her hair was real and, thanks to her not wearing the heels, she wasn’t stumbling all over.   
  
She reached the thrones and carefully walked up, making sure not to trip on the skirt, and then turned and smiled at the crowd before turning back to the priest standing behind the crown.  
  
The priest smiled up at her, then begin to speak. “The wearer of this crown is a shining example of the promise that is Corona: an ambassador of goodwill to those visiting from afar, and an inspiration to those fortunate enough to live within her borders. But, above all, the chief responsibility of the crown is to keep the people of Corona safe from dangers near and far.”  
  
Rapunzel swallowed nervously, thinking of the role that she would have to play. Could she do it? She, who was raised in a tower and controlled by a woman who lived only for herself? Would she be able to care for the Kingdom?  
  
“And there are many.” The priest continued.  
  
And then she realized…she already did. Even though she only had been out in it for six months, she still cared so much for all her people, her friends, people she’d met once and people she knew well. She had reformed criminals into friends that were reaching for their dreams, just by being with them briefly and being friendly to them.  
  
Yes. She could do this. She could be that ambassador of goodwill, and she could fight to protect her people.  
  
“This mandate is not to be taken lightly.” The priest went on. “There will come a day that the walls that surround Corona are threatened by malfeasance. A day when you must be prepared to stake everything on ensuring peace for this Kingdom.” He picked up the crown and Rapunzel bowed down and lowered her hand as she walked over to her. “When that day comes, do you so swear that you will put your kingdom above even yourself, to ensure the peace and safety of your citizens and battle the danger that threatens them?”  
  
“I swear.” She said calmly.  
  
“Then rise, Rapunzel,” He said, placing the crown on her head, “Crown Princess of Corona. Rise and see your people.”  
  
She stood up and turned to the people gathered to see her and she smiled happily, looking at them all with joy and pride in her eyes. She’d done it. She’d really done it. She was officially a princess, properly crowned and recognized in the eyes of everyone.  
  
\--  
  
Lanterns were released in honor of her and she walked out to the balcony outside the throne room to be seen by everyone in the city, her crown catching the sunlight with her hair as she looked at her beloved people, her parents standing by her side. Queen Arianna smiled and nudged her before saying “Wave” gently and Rapunzel held up a hand and waved to the crowd, earning cheers and happy smiles from her people.  
  
She knew, of course, that once this was all done that she would have to tackle the “my hair grew longer and there’s strange, indestructible rocks that attacked me” problem, but for now, she could pretend that all was well and her people were safe.  
  
Even if she had this sense of dread when she thought of the rocks. Somehow, she doubted that they were done with her…or Varian. His father knew something about the rocks, and he was there when Rapunzel touched one of them, so he was automatically involved. She felt a little bad and concerned, hoping that he would be alright.  
  
The festivities started below and she was walked back inside to rejoin the more regal festivities, a feast held in her honor.  
  
“Do I have to wear this crown all the time?” She asked her parents.  
  
“Hmhm, no, you can put it away in your room when you’re not wearing it.” Her mother assured her. “But, you _do_ have to wear it for anything official.”  
  
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without yours.” Rapunzel said thoughtfully.  
  
“Yes, but I’ve had more practice wearing it, and my hobbies aren’t quite so…active.” She said with amusement. “Look, there are your friends.” She nodded to the side. “Why don’t you go and say ‘hi’? We’ll be at the table.”  
  
Rapunzel smiled and then walked over to join Cassandra, Eugene and Varian. “Hey.”  
  
“Your Highness.” Cassandra said as they all bowed, and then she smiled and straightened up before taking her hands. “You were wonderful.”  
  
“How do you feel?” Eugene asked.  
  
“Nervous.” She smiled. “But…relieved, and happy that it’s done.” She looked at Varian. “I…shudder to think of what would’ve happened today, if you hadn’t caught Lady Caine last night. Maybe you should consider a place in the Royal Guard.” She teased.  
  
He blushed. “I, ah, no, I’m not a fighter.” He said awkwardly. “I’m just…you know, inquisitive. I could give _advice_ , maybe, but… _joining_ the Guard?”  
  
“Relax, Varian, she was kidding.” Cassandra said with a smirk.  
  
“O-Oh. Right.” He blushed more. “Yeah, heh. Still, I _could_ give advice and…stuff. If, uhm…if they were willing to accept it. I do have some…some stuff that they could use.”  
  
“Maybe we can come by tomorrow and see for ourselves?” Rapunzel suggested.  
  
“Oh, uhm, sure. We could do some, uh, tests on your hair too. If you want.” He added quietly.  
  
Rapunzel smiled. “That sounds great. I should get over to my parents, though, I’ll see you after.”  
  
Eugene smiled and took her hand. “Maybe we can have a little celebration party of our own, later?”  
  
She smiled a bit. “Sure.” She slipped her hand from his and went to rejoin her parents, where she watched Varian go to join his father and Eugene found a seat while Cassandra found a spot at the staff table with the other attendants.  
  
King Frederic cleared his throat. “Rapunzel, once everyone has retired to their rooms before their long return trips tomorrow, I want to talk with you and…” He nodded towards Varian and Quirin. “Privately.”  
  
“Oh, okay.” Rapunzel nodded. “Whenever you want.”  
  
He smiled softly and reached out to brush a loose strand behind her ear. “You look beautiful, Rapunzel. I have waited for so long to see you wear this crown. I am pleased that I am able to see you wear it today.” He sighed softly. “And the fact that we were able to do so today in peace is something that I owe to young Varian. He is impulsive and reckless and often disregards the rules of society, but he has a good heart.”  
  
“Does that mean you’re alright with us being friends?” Rapunzel smiled up at him.  
  
“Yes.” He nodded. “Who knows, perhaps you two could be just what the other needs.”  
  
She smiled at Varian, barely catching her father saying to himself, “Then again, it could lead to the opposite effect, too. I suppose life is itself a gamble and we must take our chances.”  
  
\--  
  
After everyone had retired to bed and Rapunzel had changed into something less bulky, she, Varian and Quirin met with her father in the throne room. The moon shone down on them through the windows, catching on the gold of Rapunzel’s and her father’s crowns and her long, still-braided hair.  
  
“Is this place secure enough?” Quirin asked calmly.  
  
“Would you prefer somewhere else?” King Frederic asked.  
  
Quirin glanced to the side, towards the door close to the thrones. “Yes.”  
  
“Very well. Come with me.” King Frederic nodded and they headed out together, Rapunzel and Varian following behind their fathers.  
  
They walked on until they reached the King’s personal study. After making sure no one was around, Quirin closed and secured the door before he walked over to join the other three at King Frederic’s desk.  
  
“What is this about?” Varian asked nervously.  
  
“What happened yesterday.” King Frederic explained. “Your father and I have known about the rocks being at the monument for some time, but this is the first time they have been…aggressive. Therefore, we must ask that you both stay away from the rocks to avoid any further aggression from them.”  
  
“But, what are these rocks?” Rapunzel asked. “Why did they attack us?”  
  
“I am afraid that to know would only endanger both of you further. Therefore, we are asking you, as your fathers, to _stay away from them_ from now on. We will look into this situation ourselves, do _not_ get involved further.” Quirin said, turning to Varian and placing his hands on his shoulders. “Can you promise us this?”  
  
Varian’s brow furrowed and he looked at Rapunzel.  
  
Rapunzel sighed, reaching up to touch her hair. “Will you…let us know if it affects us?” She asked. “If it affects _me_?”  
  
“Rapunzel,” King Frederic sighed, “sometimes, it is best to let others take care of things instead of being involved yourself. Why don’t you focus on helping better the Kingdom instead of worrying about the rocks?”  
  
“ _Promise_ us that you will _stay away from them_.” Quirin said, drawing Varian’s attention back to him.  
  
Varian looked down, then at Rapunzel before he sighed. “I promise.”  
  
“I promise.” Rapunzel nodded.  
  
“Good.” King Frederic nodded. “Well, then. It has gotten late, and we should all be getting to bed so they can return to Old Corona tomorrow.”  
  
“He’s right.” Quirin smiled. “I’ll take Varian to bed.”  
  
“Oh, uhm…” Rapunzel shifted a bit, “actually, we were going to have a private little celebration in my room, if he wanted to join us?”   
  
Quirin looked at Varian. “Do you want to?”  
  
“Oh, uh…can I? I mean…is that allowed?” He asked nervously.  
  
“Go on.” Quirin smiled.  
  
Rapunzel beamed and took Varian’s hand. “I’ll take him from here then. See you tomorrow!” She pulled him to the door, moved the halberd Quirin had used to secure it out of the way, then left through it, practically dragging Varian behind her.  
  
“So much energy.” Quirin remarked.  
  
King Frederic sighed. “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the King's blessing, what shenanigans will the two friends get up to? And can Rapunzel keep Varian distracted enough he doesn't cause trouble?


	4. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freshly crowned, Rapunzel decides to celebrate with a sleepover with all her friends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (c) Disney

Eugene suppressed the heavy sigh that wanted to come out. He should’ve seen _this_ coming, he supposed. Rapunzel had invited Cassandra and her new little friend Varian to join their “private celebration” which right now was being spent with him sitting back and watching as the other two unbraided his lovely magic girlfriend’s long, beautiful, magical hair.   
  
He was grateful for his help. Really. But ever since she’d met him in the woods after Eugene’s failed proposal, she’d barely left his side. Eugene hadn’t gotten a moment alone since she met the kid and, charming as he is, he kind of wanted him to go away for a few hours and let Eugene have some time _alone_ with _his girlfriend_.  
  
Him and Cassandra _both_.  
  
“There we go.” Cassandra said as they finally undid the last braid. Rapunzel ran her hands through her hair, which was a bit wavy from being braided all day, then looked over as Cassandra picked up a brush and started to brush it. “So, what do you want to do tonight? Aside from that plate of cupcakes?” She smirked at the cupcakes Eugene had brought.  
  
Eugene fumed a bit. He’d brought four cupcakes, two for him and Rapunzel each, and some fruit for Pascal that had already been devoured. Unfortunately, with them here it meant that it was one cupcake for each person, math that delighted Rapunzel, but Eugene didn’t plan for it.  
  
“I’m not sure. I mean, to be honest, I was kind of hoping for some time alone with my girlfriend.” He said casually. “Not that I’m not happy you’re here, kid. Cassandra, though, she can leave.”  
  
“Pft. _I’m_ probably the only reason that you’re allowed in _her room_ right now.” Cassandra said with shake of the head.  
  
“Right. Well, anyone got any ideas? Because I’m not doing what I had planned with company over.” Eugene shrugged.  
  
“Well, uhm…” Varian tugged at his glove shyly, something Eugene had noticed he did a _lot_. How did he have the courage to face Lady Caine, but not to be in a normal conversation without being nervous? “I…have something to ask. Ask _you_ , actually.”  
  
“Well, hey, don’t be shy. Ask away.” Eugene shrugged.  
  
“Ah, heh, now I’m even _more_ shy about it.” He said, ducking his head. “Uhm…are you…Flynn Rider?”  
  
Eugene blinked. “Uh, well…I _was_ —”  
  
“I knew it!” Varian’s eyes lit up. “I _knew_ I recognized you from somewhere! I have your wanted poster at home, and all your books!” He said excitedly.  
  
“Oh!” Eugene blinked. “Oh, you’re a-a _fan_? I have a _fan_?”  
  
Varian nodded. “D-Do you want to hear about how I caught her? I mean, I don’t know if you’ve already been told, but I was, heh, pretty sneaky about it…”  
  
“Hey, all I know is that you caught her.” Eugene grinned. “I’m all ears.”  
  
Varian let out an excited squeal and then launched into a full explanation of how he snuck out, snuck into the library, and then put the guards to sleep with alchemy before sneaking into her room, all without waking her or his dad up. By the end of it, Eugene was feeling pretty impressed.  
  
“Heh, get you a lockpick and you’d be a _pretty_ good thief.” He said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Though, if you ask me, _everyone_ should know how to pick a lock. You never knew if you’re gonna end up locked up by some maniac!”  
  
“Speaking from experience?” Cassandra asked teasingly.  
  
“Yes.” Eugene pulled a lockpick out of his vest. “Never leave home without one.”  
  
“If you had a lockpick on you, then why didn’t you escape the cell when you were going to be executed?” Cassandra raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Because I was…distracted.” He admitted. “I was trying to figure out how they even found out and feeling guilty because of how betrayed she must’ve been feeling, and…yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck.  
  
“Well, I’m glad that you escaped.” Varian smiled.  
  
“Me too, kid.” Eugene smiled. “If I hadn’t, Rapunzel would’ve been trapped with that horrible woman forever,” he got up and took her hand in his, “and would have never known her family, or you and Cassandra. And I’d probably be a body in an unmarked grave.” He cleared his throat. “So, what about you, kid? What’s your story?”  
  
“Hm?” He looked at him.  
  
“How did you end up in the woods to meet Rapunzel?” Eugene clarified.  
  
“Oh. There’s no story, I’m just an alchemist that was collecting components for my alchemy.” He shrugged. “Dad was off in the field working and I went off alone as usual and—”  
  
“Wait, your dad lets you go into the woods alone?” Eugene asked.  
  
“Well…it’s not so much a ‘lets’ and more of a ‘I just do it and he accepts it happens’.” Varian admitted. “It’s the same with my alchemy. He would prefer if I didn’t do it, but he understands that it’s…” He sighed and took off his goggles, looking at him. “It’s all I have left of my mom.”  
  
“Your mother?” Rapunzel asked.  
  
“She…disappeared when I was really young. She was an alchemist, too.” He said softly. “But, uhm, let’s talk about something else.” He put his goggles back on. “I mean, if that’s okay.”  
  
“Oh, of course. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” Rapunzel assured him with a smile.  
  
“Well, I need _both_ of you guys to leave the room so I can get her changed into her nightgown.” Cassandra said, pointing to the door.  
  
“Right.” Eugene got up. “Let’s go, kid.”  
  
Varian nodded, following him out. After the door was closed, they stepped away a bit and then Eugene took a moment to properly appraise him.  
  
He was scrawny, for sure, but clearly what he lacked in brawn, he made up for in brains and agility, if he was able to evade Lady Caine when he was right next to her. And he certainly had courage, even if he was trembling nervously during their conversation earlier. Then again, maybe he was shaking with excitement? He did seem to be a fan.  
  
“Uhm…can I ask a question?” Varian asked, looking up at him.  
  
“Sure.” Eugene smiled.  
  
“Why did you want to keep Rapunzel stuck in the Kingdom?” He asked curiously, his eyes wide and child-like.  
  
Eugene sighed. “I guess that’s…how she _would_ interpret it, huh?” He walked away a bit. “It’s not that I want to keep her here. Of course, I plan for us to go out and explore the world at some point, but I still want us to live happily here in this castle, to return to it when we’re done with our adventures.” He sighed. “I didn’t _mean_ to make her feel that way, to make her run away. I just…I wanted to let her know how much I wanted to be with her, forever.”  
  
He sighed and leaned against the wall. “I’m no good with this kind of stuff. I’ve never wanted to stay with a girl like this before, all my past relationships have been short-lived, and the one time I almost got _married_ …well, it didn’t happen.”  
  
He sighed, leaning his head against the wall. “She’s…”  
  
“Special.” Varian said softly. “You feel like, while with her, everything is right with the world, and you don’t have to fear being alone.”  
  
Eugene looked at him. “…Yes. Yeah, she’s…she’s my light. I feel warm and safe with her. Like all the shadows of the world can’t get me anymore.”  
  
Varian nodded. “Before I knew who she was, I was kind of starting to think I could have a chance with her. But, she’s a Princess, and dating the great Flynn Rider. What does a farm boy from Old Corona have to stand a chance to be anything but a friend? So, I’ll take what I can get. She’s an amazing friend.”  
  
“Well, uh, thanks for the honesty, I guess, and it’s Eugene Fitzherbert, not Flynn.” He cleared his throat. “I pushed aside my old life when I gave up crime. Was the only way I could start fresh, without a criminal record.”  
  
“Don’t worry, it was probably just a passing crush.” Varian assured him. “I mean, she was the first girl to ever pay attention to me…you know, besides my mom.” He fidgeted with his glove. “It’s only natural for me to think that it would be like a fairytale, I guess. You know, love at first sight?”  
  
“Hey, I don’t blame you.” Eugene sighed. “Truthfully, that’s kind of what it was for me. Or, at least, I thought she was really cute, and then I got to know her and really fell in love.” He smiled and nudged him. “Hey, maybe you’ll find someone even cuter, huh?”  
  
Varian raised an eyebrow. “You think someone cuter than her even _exists_?”  
  
Before Eugene could answer, Cassandra had opened the door and was looking out at them. “If you don’t get in here, I’m eating your cupcakes.”  
  
They left the wall and headed back into the room.  
  
As soon as they stepped in, they both got ambushed with pillows. “Gotcha~!” Rapunzel giggled as the pillows dropped off their stunned faces. She held up another pillow. “Pillow-fight?” She suggested with an impish smile.  
  
The two guys exchanged glances before shrugging and picking up the pillows that hit them both. “Okay, but you’re gonna regret this. I’ll have you know, I was pillow-fight _champion_ back at the orphanage.” Eugene grinned.  
  
“Boys vs girls!” Cassandra grabbed a pillow and stood next to Rapunzel.  
  
“Can I, uh, sit this out?” Varian asked awkwardly. “I’ve never told this before.”  
  
“Neither have I, so it balances out!” Rapunzel said cheerfully. “Come on, _please_? I’ve _always_ wanted to do this!”  
  
He tugged at his gloves nervously, then smiled a bit. “Well, as long as I’m not the only one making a fool of himself.”  
  
She giggled. “That’s the spirit!”  
  
He smiled. “Okay.”  
  
They started their game, running around the room throwing pillows at each other like a bunch of children. Rapunzel at one point used her hair and the rafters to ambush the guys from above, while the rest of them tried to either fight back or used furniture to avoid friendly fire.  
  
“Whoop!” She slipped and started to fall, but caught herself, then looked down to see they’d all come out to catch her. “Guys, I’m okay. I’ve had loads of practice with my hair in the tower.”  
  
Eugene laughed awkwardly. “Still, let’s try to keep to the floor, okay?”  
  
“kay.” She lowered herself to the floor and pulled her hair down from the rafters.  
  
“Thank you.” Cassandra nodded. “Also, uh, can you maybe _not_ give us all heart attacks for…I dunno, a week?”  
  
Rapunzel giggled awkwardly. “I’ll try?”  
  
“It _has_ been a pretty wild couple days.” Varian nodded.  
  
“Especially for _you_ , eh?” Eugene nudged him with a grin. “Still think it’s cool that you wrestled with Lady Caine like that.”  
  
Varian blushed. “I probably wouldn’t have been so brave if I wasn’t wearing my mask.”  
  
“Nah, you’re brave.” Eugene assured him, and then both of them yelped as they got hit by pillows.  
  
“We’re still playing!” Cassandra said as she and Rapunzel grinned at them, reaching for more pillows.  
  
\--  
  
They ended up playing until they got tired and then they sat together on the bed eating cupcakes and listening to Rapunzel talk about all she planned to paint on her walls “now that I can reach”. They finished off the night with stargazing on the balcony, where Varian and Rapunzel talked about the stars and constellations while Cassandra and Eugene watched them.  
  
They ended up falling asleep together on Rapunzel’s bed, too tired to go back to their rooms. And, that night, Rapunzel had a strange dream.  
  
 _She was chasing Pascal down a hall, playing tag. She slowed and walked past a series of vases, then stopped and turned back to one going “Boo!” as she spooked him out of his hiding place. He squeaked in alarm and fell out of place and restored his color and mimed being hit as he fell to the ground while she laughed.  
  
He looked up at her with a growl, but it wasn’t really angry, just annoyed about her not even pretending to be concerned. He got up and blew a raspberry at her before running off again and the chase was on.  
  
She passed by Eugene and her parents, stopping to hug her parents and then kiss Eugene’s cheek before she ran on after Pascal into the room beyond. She opened the doors and then closed them behind her, gasping as she saw a cloaked figure standing at the window.  
  
“Hello, Rapunzel.” Said a chillingly-familiar voice. The figure turned to her, throwing off her hood to reveal Gothel, her kidnapper of eighteen years. “Did you think I was gone forever?” She asked tauntingly.  
  
Speechless, Rapunzel could only stare as she approached her. “What’s the matter, dear?” She reached out to stroke her hair and cheek before she walked past her, lifting her braid into her arms as she circled her. “Aren’t you happy to see your mummy?” She walked back to the window, then turned to her and threw up her hands, black rocks coming out of the ground towards Rapunzel.  
  
Rapunzel gasped and covered her face, then opened her eyes to find herself in a strange, dark location, black rocks all around. She screamed in alarm and started to run, but another black rock came up to block her way. She felt a gloved hand close around her wrist and tug her and then she was being pulled along as the black rocks chased her. She looked forward and saw Varian ahead of her, looking as frightened as she felt as the black rocks closed in around them both. He suddenly threw her forward and she hit the ground and rolled before looking up just in time to see her view of him be blocked by the black rocks surrounding him, the black rocks he’d pushed her out of the way of.  
  
She ran forward and placed her hands on the rocks, her hair starting to glow before it burst from its braid, the black rocks shattering around her. She gasped as she saw Varian lying on the ground and ran to kneel next to him and pull him close, her hair drifting into the sky, pointing towards the moon.  
  
“And, look,” Gothel taunted with delight, “your hair has returned!” She looked up and saw Gothel’s image in the black rocks. “Ohh, isn’t that wonderful?”  
  
“Rapunzel…” Varian whimpered in her arms, and she looked back down at him with concern.  
  
“Come now, dear. Let’s get you back to your tower, where you will be safe and secure.” Gothel said possessively.  
  
She ignored her, which seemed to anger the woman. “RAPUNZEL!” She yelled.  
  
_Rapunzel gasped in alarm as she woke up, then looked around as her hair drifted in the air around her before it fell on the other sleeping inhabitants on the room. Pascal let out an indignant squeak, Cassandra grumbled, Eugene rolled off the bed to avoid it and Varian…  
  
Varian! She gasped and moved her hair to the side, seeing he was completely buried in it. He was curled up tightly, and his hair was a mess. She reached out and pulled him close, earning a sleepy “Hn” reaction from him as he was moved.  
  
She sighed with relief, then looked around as Cassandra and Eugene got up. “Uhm…good morning?”  
  
“Good morning to _everything_ but your hair.” Eugene groaned, rubbing his lower back.  
  
Cassandra sighed. “Well, at least _someone_ didn’t get woken up by whatever your hair was doing.” She chuckled a bit. “Come on, kid, it’s morning. Gotta eject you and Eugene from the premises so I can get the princess ready for the day.”  
  
“Varian?” Rapunzel brushed his long bangs out of his face. “Come on, buddy, time to get up.”  
  
Her brow furrowed when he didn’t wake up and she shook him gently. “Varian?”  
  
He gasped as his eyes opened and he looked frightened for a bit before his expression eased. “Rapunzel.”  
  
“Oh, good, you’re—”  
  
“You’re okay!” He hugged her tightly. “I thought the rocks—” He shook his head. “But, it was just a dream, wasn’t it?”  
  
He had a dream about the rocks, too? Then again, she couldn’t blame him, they were both there when the rocks attacked.  
  
“It was just a dream.” She assured him.  
  
“Kid, you missed her hair doing some crazy flying stuff.” Eugene grinned.  
  
Varian’s brow furrowed. “Flying? Like…lifting towards the sky?”  
  
Rapunzel nodded. “Yeah.” She paused. “Varian, what was your dream about?”  
  
Varian sighed and sat up, glancing away. “I was in this dark place. There was a castle in the distance, I think. Then black rocks started to come out, and then I saw you running from more of them. I grabbed your wrist and pulled you along, towards the castle, but then the black rocks…they were all around. I realized that we couldn’t both make it out, so I used all my strength to make sure you got out and then I was trapped in the black rocks. I heard a-a voice…taunting me, I think. I don’t know what it was saying. Then…uhm…” he hesitated, clutching at his bangs, “I-I felt weak and collapsed, and then the rocks burst open and then you were there at my side, and there was another voice speaking, yelling at you, I think, and your hair lifted to the sky, glowing.”  
  
Rapunzel’s eyes widened. “It’s almost exactly the same.”  
  
“The same?” Cassandra frowned.  
  
“I _also_ had a dream about the rocks.” Rapunzel admitted. “I was in the castle, playing tag with Pascal, and then I went into my room and saw Mo— _Gothel_ there at my window. She taunted me, saying that she wasn’t really gone, and then she sent black rocks at me and when I opened my eyes I was in a strange, dark place. I didn’t see if there was a castle or not, but I was being attacked by rocks and so I ran and then Varian showed up and grabbed my wrist before he started to pull me somewhere. Then we started to get trapped and he threw me out through a gap in the rocks before it closed. I ran to the rocks and my hair came loose and glowed and then the rocks were shattered and I found Varian lying on the ground. He’d collapsed.” She looked at Varian. “I ran to you, and Gothel appeared in the rocks, taunting me and telling me to come back to the tower with her while I was holding you, making sure you were okay. Then she yelled my name, and I woke up.”  
  
Varian sighed. “ _My_ dream went on a bit longer. You disappeared suddenly and then the rocks were closing in on me. Then there was this…brilliant beam of light shining down on me. I reached up to the source…and then I woke up.” He looked at her. “I thought the rocks took you away, and I felt so scared…”  
  
“Oh, Varian.” She held him close to her. “It’s okay. We’re going to stay away from those rocks. Neither of us is being taken away.”  
  
He nodded, clinging to her.  
  
Cassandra sighed. “Right, well…when you’re ready, Princess, we have to get you dressed for breakfast. Fitzherbert, _out_.”  
  
“Leaving.” Eugene kissed Rapunzel’s cheek and headed out of the room.  
  
“You gonna be okay?” Rapunzel asked, gently stroking Varian’s hair.  
  
He nodded. “Yeah, I just…yeah.” He pulled away, chuckling a bit. “Weird that we had the same dream, huh? Well, from different sides.”  
  
“Yeah, but…well, weird is kind of my normal.” Rapunzel shrugged.  
  
“I should…get back to my dad. We have to go back to Old Corona. Last night was fun.” He got off the bed and headed for the door.  
  
“We’ll come by and visit sometime.” Rapunzel smiled.  
  
He nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him.  
  
“Shared dreams?” Cassandra hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe Vigor could give you some insight on that.”  
  
“Who’s Vigor?” Rapunzel asked curiously.  
  
“Vigor the Visionary. He’s this fortune-telling monkey that is supposed to have some kind of actual knowledge of the future, but I’ve never really visited him.” Cassandra admitted. “I don’t know when he’s going to be back in Corona, though, I heard he left about a month ago.”  
  
“Well, maybe when he comes back, we’ll ask him. For now, maybe someone else will have some insight.” Rapunzel got up so Cassandra could help her get ready for the day.  
  
“Hm…” Cassandra shrugged. “Well, I’ll look into it. You just focus on your Princess duties.” She started to brush her hair. “We should also see if we can find some expert on magic, because this…uh…this stuff is weird.”  
  
“The floating hair?” Rapunzel giggled.  
  
“Yeah.” Cassandra nodded. “Someone who knows magic or…legends.” She gasped. “Xavier!”  
  
“Xavier?” Rapunzel asked curiously.  
  
“Yeah, he’s the local blacksmith, and will talk your ear off about legends and stories if you let him.” Cassandra nodded. “I’ll see if I get can get him to set some time aside. It’s not urgent, I mean, it’s just a dream, right?”  
  
Rapunzel nodded. “Just a dream.”  
  
But she still felt worried. Part of her wanted to go back to the tower to check, and the other part of her was afraid to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shared dreams, floating hair, Gothel, and a mysterious castle? This just gets weirder and weirder!

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes, it takes one person can change your fate, and then another person can change it again in an entirely different way.


End file.
